Phanse and Parker oldest convicts of '93 blasts

Mumbai, Sep 22 (UNI) Dawood Phanse and Sharif Parker -- 82 and 81 years of age respectively -- are the oldest accused convicted today by a TADA court on the charge of their involvement in India's worst terror attack that killed 257 people and wounded over 700 in the country's commercial and entertainment capital in 1993.

Both residents of adjoining Raigad district, Phanse and Parker, who allegedly used to smuggle gold for India's most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, were convicted on the charge of landing and handling shipment of arms, ammunition and RDX on Shekhadi coast in Raigad district on February 3 and 7, 1993. This arsenal was used in 13 bomb blasts that rocked the city on March 12, 1993.

Phanse, who has not been attending the proceedings of the TADA court for six months due to ill-health, was today brought to the court by his son Sarfraz, also an accused in the blasts case. The father-son duo are lodged in the Arthur Road jail for the last 13 years. The TADA court of Mr Pramod Kode is also located in the jail premises because of security reasons.

Phanse and Parker were called '' Dawood Chacha '' and '' Sharif Chacha '' by co-accused because of their old age.

Abdul Razzak Memon, the patriarch of the Memon family, was the third oldest accused. He was 78 year when he died a few years ago during the trial.

Moin quereshi of 32 is the youngest accused in the case. He was 19 when he allegedly participated in the serial bomb blasts.

Phanse alias Dawood Taklya was also convicted on the charge of attending a meeting in Dubai convened by Dawood Ibrahim to plan the conspiracy. He had made a confessional statement to this effect which he retracted later. But Mr Kode accepted the confession.

Parkar alias Dadabhai was also found guilty of locating a training ground in Sandheri and Borghat villages in Raigad where co-accused were given arms training. He was, however, not found guilty of having himself undergone the training.

Parkar, a landing agent like Phanse, has also been and convicted for organising meetings of custom and police officials with co-accused.

UNI XR-SA SK HT1800